Taking a cheap shot at former House
Judiciary Committee colleague Bob Barr, Georgia Republican, Mr.
Schumer said Mr. Barr had plans to introduce a "Defense of
White Marriage Act."

This was an apparent reference to
Mr. Barr's sponsorship of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act --
a measure signed by President Clinton that effectively prohibited
federal recognition of "gay marriages" -- and also to
Mr. Barr's speech in June to the Council of Conservative Citizens.

Ashcroft Hits Everyone

Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri has condemned a group of supposed
racists that a Democratic political group had linked to the Republican
in a news release last month, the Kansas City Star reports.

He also sharply criticized the news
release from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which
called Mr. Ashcroft the "white supremacist's presidential
choice."

"We felt like the press release
was offensive, injurious and wrong," said Ashcroft aide Don
Trigg.

The campaign committee's news release
was based on a televised appearance by Gordon Baum of Bridgeton,
Mo., a leader of the Council of Conservative Citizens. The group,
criticized as racist and anti-Semitic, has made headlines recently
because of its loose ties to GOP congressional leaders, including
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi.

In an appearance on CNN, Mr. Baum
said he could support Mr. Ashcroft for president, although at
the time of the interview Mr. Ashcroft already had dropped out
of the 2000 race.